


fool 'em!

by krabershot



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Battlefield, Blood and Violence, Developing Friendships, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-18 00:13:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19965541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krabershot/pseuds/krabershot
Summary: Mirage slid off the back off the roof to join Pathfinder. He knelt beside the fence and he called out a decoy, sending it running towards the middle structure. He watched, waiting with bated breath, as it jogged out into the open. He had started to second-guess himself, wondering whether it was too obvious that it was a decoy, when a shot rang out across the swamps and the decoy disintegrated. The last remaining squad had given away their position and Mirage grinned, testing the weight of his Wingman in his palm.





	fool 'em!

If you’d told Elliot Witt that one day he would be holed up in a room with an overenthusiastically homicidal MRVN and an interdimensional skirmisher, staring down the sights of a Longbow, he probably would have believed you. He believed a lot of stupid things. His squad had managed to fight their way to top 3 and were now camping out in a building near the edge of the wetlands. The pulsing orange wall was closing in, moving towards the swamps. Beside him, Wraith shifted her grip on the Kraber she had scored from an abandoned care package. They had wiped the squad before it had even hit the ground.

“Good thing we’re inside the next ring,” Mirage joked. “Would hate to have to run. Spent a lot of time on my hair today.”

Wraith rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t show.”

Mirage gasped, mock-shocked, and placed a hand over his heart. He fell back against the wall, pouting. “How c-”

“Path. Where are we on supplies?” Wraith cut him off, clearly on edge and done dealing with Mirage’s bullshit. Not that he really blamed her. It had been a rough match so far and everyone was exhausted.

“We are doing well, friend!” Pathfinder rummaged around in his backpack, pulling out several syringes and shield cells. “If we combine the supplies I have gathered with yours and also our friend Mirage’s, we should have enough to get ourselves to that victory stage!”

Wraith stood, attaching her Kraber to her back and pulling out her pistol. “We should get moving. Thirty seconds ‘til ring movement and I would rather we get a head start to get the high ground in the swamps.”

She stood by the door for a moment, considering, before she lifted a hand and opened a portal entrance. She disappeared from sight and her two teammates watched as the portal pulsed gently for a couple of seconds before fully opening. Pathfinder clapped excitedly and threw his backpack on, rushing into the portal. Mirage almost rolled his eyes at how excited the MRVN got about taking Wraith’s portals. They just made Mirage feel ill after he was pushed out of the exit. Taking in a deep breath and jogging on the spot for a moment, Mirage stepped into the portal tunnel.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he was pulled along the tunnel, harsh whispers echoing around him and hands grabbing at his equipment. He fell out the other end of the portal, letting out the breath he had been holding. Wraith stood above him, a smug look on her face. She knew he hated using her portals but they were a necessary evil. They had made it to the swamps without having to move across the open sightlines. She held out her hand and Mirage grabbed it, letting himself be pulled to his feet. As expected, his stomach felt uneasy but he pushed it down. The last thing he needed was to vomit in front of his squad in the last leg of a match. No humility there.

Using Pathfinder’s zipline, they set up on top of one of the ramshackle houses lining the swamps. Wraith immediately pulled out her Kraber and started checking the entrance ways into the swamp. Mirage did always admire her dedication to the job. He eyed the edge of the roof and noticed all the doors to the house they were on were still all closed. No one had landed here, so there would be fresh loot inside.

“I’m gonna go check what’s inside,” he said. “Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone.”

Mirage dropped down onto the wooden walkway and pushed open the doors, stepping into the house. He wrinkled his nose when all he found was a pile of heavy ammunition and a single shotgun shell. A single shield cell sat in the corner. No wonder no one had landed down in the swamps; the loot fucking _sucked_ so far. Mirage opened his backpack and rummaged around, throwing out a loose selectfire hop-up he had accidentally picked up on a supply ship. It hit the floor with a clatter and he winced. He glanced out the window and started when he saw the large golden dome covering the cave access, almost entirely clouded by rolling smoke. He pulled his Wingman from its holster and left the house through the back entrance. He pulled himself up onto the roof and frowned when he saw that Pathfinder had disappeared.

“Someone’s out there and they sure don’t look friendly,” Mirage knelt beside Wraith. “Where did Path go?”

“He went to loot over by the edge of the arena. This whole area is untouched so he thinks he might be able to find something good on the outskirts.”

“Hope he does better than me. I couldn’t find shit down there,” Mirage sighed and kept his eyes on the dome shield. After a while it dropped down, he caught sight of electric fences crackling, cutting off access to the swamps from the outside. He was keeping a mental note of everyone out there, still in the fight. Wraith looked him over with an eyebrow raised, scoffing quietly. “What?”

“Nothing, I just…” Wraith leant the Kraber against the edge of the roof, turning to look at Mirage. “Just weird to hear you talk normally. Y’know, not like an arrogant asshole.”

Mirage blinked and gave her an easy grin, trying to ignore the blush that was staining his cheeks. “Why? You miss it?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Wraith rolled her eyes and moved her eyes back to the Kraber’s sights, focused on the two squads fighting by the caves. Mirage cursed inwardly and pulled his knees up. There he goes again, ruining a perfectly good moment with his cocky asshole routine. It had become something of a crutch; don’t let people see the real you, let them see the you created for the games. It was so easy for him to slip into being something that made the fans swoon. To be that arrogant prick who believed he could never lose. To be the fan favourite who made everyone laugh with ease. To be _Mirage_. No one wanted to see Elliot Witt. The fans were there for a show. To be entertained. Only Mirage could do that. 

The sound of Pathfinder’s grapple hitting the side of the building startled Mirage and he almost dropped his Wingman. Pathfinder flew up and landed on top of the roof. “Check out what I found, friends!” he said, showing off his new golden body shield. Mirage grumbled under his breath and Wraith held back a laugh.

Suddenly, Wraith’s face went blank and her eyes glassed over, filling in a hazy white. Mirage sat forward in concern, reaching out a hand. Wraith’s hand shot out and grabbed Mirage by the front of his jumpsuit. She yanked him forward roughly and he yelped in surprise. A bullet whizzed past his ear, almost clipping him, and the two of them hit the roof. Wraith blinked and shook her head, her eyes clearing. Mirage’s chest heaved as Pathfinder dropped off of the back of the roof, pulling out his Devotion and aiming down the sights in the direction of the shot.

“There are two enemies over there,” he called out. “I cannot see a third.”

Mirage slid off the back off the roof to join Pathfinder. He knelt beside the fence and he called out a decoy, sending it running towards the middle structure. He watched, waiting with bated breath, as it jogged out into the open. He had started to second-guess himself, wondering whether it was too obvious that it was a decoy, when a shot rang out across the swamps and the decoy disintegrated. The last remaining squad had given away their position and Mirage grinned, testing the weight of his Wingman in his palm.

“I say we split up,” Mirage said, making sure he had his finger to his ear to make sure Wraith could hear the plan over comms. “I can try to flank them from the side. Wraith can stay on the high ground and keep the sniping advantage.”

“What about me, friend?” Pathfinder asked, the screen across his chest flashing up a smiling emoji. “Perhaps I could take a more aggressive approach?”

“Whatever you wanna do, buddy.”

“Excellent!” Mirage didn’t like the growing excitement in the MRVN’s voice. Or the way that the smiley on his chest glitched and switched to a gun emoji. “Now let’s go and murder our enemies, team!”

The two of them split up, leaving Wraith scoped in on the rooftop. Pathfinder moved along the houses on the right side while Mirage sent out a decoy straight forward. He jogged along the side of the wooden walkways, trying to stay out of sight and trying to make it to the caves. It seemed that the decoy didn’t work this time and it fizzled out of sight as it hit a wall. Mirage took in a deep breath and walked into the entrance of the hollowed out mountain. Open supply bins lined the sides of the rocky wall and Mirage raised his Wingman, his eyes flicking around. He spotted a large orange and black shape by one of the supply bins and he took a step back. A gas trap. Best to stay away. 

Mirage knelt and lined up a shot on the base of the gas trap, firing off a single bullet to break it. He immediately moved for cover behind a rock formation when he heard footsteps making their way toward the noise. His heart pounded in his chest and he fumbled with his gun as the steps got closer. Mirage quietly sent a decoy out in front of him at a run, hoping to distract whoever was around so he could make a quick getaway. His blood ran cold when he heard a dark chuckle, right beside the rock he was hiding behind. 

“Foolish,” a voice called out, low and rumbling. “Foolish to think that your little tricks would work on me like that.”

Caustic stepped around the large rock and raised his L-Star, firing. Mirage yelped as the white hot bullets ripped through his body shield and tore into his shoulder. In a panic, he dropped a circle of decoys and cloaked himself. He ran as fast as his legs would allow, stumbling further into the caves. He heard Caustic curse behind him, shocked by the sheer amount of decoys he had to push through start his search for his opponent. Mirage uncloaked once he was far enough away and pressed his back to the wall, panting heavily. He pressed a hand to his shoulder and grimaced. Pain throbbed through his whole upper body as he considered pulling out a shield cell. He thought he had gotten away with his sneaky escape until he saw a canister clatter to the ground beside him. It shook for a moment before the top popped open and started pouring out heavy gas. 

Mirage coughed and slid his back down the wall as the gas swirled around him, choking his airway. His legs shook as he gasped for air, his hands coming up to hold his chest. Nearby, he could hear the harsh rasping of Caustic’s mask as it filtered the toxins out of the air for him. A hulking shadow stepped out of the rolling gas and Mirage was helpless as Caustic looked down at him, as if he were a disgusting insect. 

“There you are,” he near _purred_ as he knelt down beside Mirage, grabbing the man’s hair in a fist and tugging him upwards. Mirage groaned weakly, his vision blacking out around the edges as his lungs filled with the gas. “This is when I feel the most alive. Watching the life slowly leave my opponent's eyes.”

Mirage’s whole body was limp as Caustic held him up by his hair. His chest burned from the poison rolling around them and his whole right side was drenched in blood from his multiple gunshot wounds. Somewhere in the back of Mirage’s mind, he was concerned that he couldn’t move his arm but he had more pressing issues. Caustic’s other hand moved to rest on Mirage’s shoulder wound. Mirage gritted his teeth and bit back a yell as he applied pressure to the open wounds. Caustic laughed quietly behind the mask and Mirage couldn’t hold back the scream that tore from his throat as Caustic pressed his gloved finger into his shoulder, pulling one of the wounds open further. The masked man seemed genuinely curious about Mirage’s suffering.

“Just kill me already, you sick fuck,” Mirage spat. “My buddies’ll get you eventually. We’re gonna win this whole thing, asshole.”

Caustic chuckled again and pulled Mirage up until their faces were level. Mirage stared into his beady eyes, his stomach turning when he found nothing but pure evil in them. “Are you certain?”

A shot cracked behind them and Caustic’s hold on him was dropped. Mirage fell back against the wall, coughing wetly and wrapping his good arm around himself. Caustic hit the ground with a grunt and Mirage didn’t think he had ever been so relieved to see Pathfinder in his whole life, waving at him from behind the sights of his Triple Take. 

“Hi, friend!”

Mirage’s giddy laugh broke off into a loud groan of pain. “H-Hi, Path.” 

Caustic moved beside them and Mirage watched with wide eyes as Pathfinder switched between his weapons and emptied the clip of his Devotion into the man’s body. “I got one!” Pathfinder exclaimed happily, his chest display showing a glowing thumbs up. “Are you in need of any assistance?”

Mirage weakly gestured to his backpack and Pathfinder helped him take out a few medical syringes. The corners of Mirage’s vision were blacking out and he tried to concentrate really hard on staying awake. The MRVN seemed to notice that Mirage’s right arm was out of commission so he applied the sharp end to Mirage for him. The man squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe through the pain. The medical syringes helped but didn’t fix the problem. They were more of a band aid fix. A really _advanced_ band aid fix.

Overhead, the announcement system boomed out that they were the champions. Mirage looked at Pathfinder in surprise and received a bolded question mark in response. Wraith’s voice crackled over their comms. She sounded the most excited Mirage had ever heard her. 

“I got them! They were in beast hunt mode and heading right for you guys. But they stepped into my sightlines for just a moment and I got the coolest surprise headshot.”

“Thank you so much for your hard work today!” Pathfinder called back over the comms. “I suppose it is time to go home now.”

He looked down to Mirage, extending a hand. “Can you walk, friend?” he asked. Mirage nodded and took Pathfinder’s hand with his left, letting himself get pulled to his feet. Some part of him wanted to say no and let Pathfinder carry him to the victory stage, but he knew that it wouldn’t be very good for his public image. He had to grin and bear through the pain, for at least a little bit longer. 

And yeah, maybe he did lean on Wraith a little bit while they were all up on the victory stage together. She gave him a knowing look, adjusting her weight to hold more of his as he laughed and waved to the cameras. He let a couple of decoys loose to pull some tricks and keep the crowds attention for a moment. Everyone always loved watching his holo-tech at work so what was the harm in the momentary redirection? Mirage’s breath hitched sharply as he tried to move his arm again. There was pain there, so that was something. Pathfinder bounced from side to side, giving everyone he could a thumbs up. Wraith just stood still, her fists clenched. Something about all of the attention set her on edge and Mirage knew she would have left ages ago if it wasn’t for him. 

Later, as he kicked his apartment door closed behind him, Elliot found himself wondering if the two of them could be friends. He hadn’t made many friends in the games. Most people found his arrogant persona off putting and he couldn’t blame them. It was like a wall he put up between himself and any real connections. Anyway, he knew people wouldn’t want to get to know Elliot. He knew the only appeal he had was when he was Mirage; the holographic trickster who cracked jokes and knew he was the best out there on the field. But something about Wraith seemed different. She seemed to give something of a shit about getting to know Elliot better, rather than Mirage.

Something in Elliot’s chest ached as he thought about his performance in the arena earlier that day. How he had almost gone down to Caustic. The real fear he had felt bubbling into his throat; the burning pain that had pushed its way through his body. He suddenly became uncomfortably aware of the bandages wrapped tight around his shoulder underneath his shirt. A reminder. 

Elliot sighed and dragged his working hand down his face, rubbing at his stubble. It annoyed him sometimes but it had become part of Mirage’s signature look, so he was stuck with it for now. He stumbled towards his bedroom, almost tripping and falling. Elliot made it to the bed, dropping his backpack on the floor. He flopped down onto the bed, wincing when he knocked his shoulder. He considered changing out of his jeans or at the very least taking off his shoes, but exhaustion got the better of him. Within seconds of his body finding the soft mattress, Elliot’s eyes were closed.

**Author's Note:**

> mirage apex legends i have FEELINGS for you. 
> 
> i am.. definitely going to write more apex stuff soon.. this was fun :D


End file.
